Rick Wakeman details 4 more releases for 2016

Rick Wakeman has added 4 releases to his busy 2016 schedule, including Phantom Of The Opera soundtrack, Gastank DVD, Gospels box set and Rainbow Suite album

Rick Wakeman has announced four releases to follow live DVD Starmus, featuring Brian May, which was launched last week.

The additional titles include three DVD/CD sets and an all-new orchestral CD, with launch dates between August 5 and November 25.

The flurry of activity comes as Wakeman gears up for a tour with Yes offshoot Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman – who are working on their own new material.

The Starmus DVD, on sale now, was recorded at the Starmus Festival on Tenerife, where Wakeman and Queen guitarist May collaborated with the English Rock Ensemble for an astronomy-themed show.

On August 5 a special edition of classic 1925 Lon Chaney movie Phantom Of The Opera is released, featuring a specially-commissioned Wakeman soundtrack. The restored and remastered film is signed by the keyboardist and comes in a special edition featuring Chaney photographs and reproduced lobby cards.

A package centred on Wakeman’s 1980s TV show Gastank arrives on September 16, containing some of the impromptu performances delivered by Wakeman, his house band and special guests including Steve Hackett, Andy Fairweather Low and Phil Lynott. It’s the first time all episodes of the show will have been made available, along with a CD of the musical skits. A signed, limited-edition box set comes with a shirt, book and reproduction AAA pass.

The limited-edition [Gospels deluxe box set](http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/product_details/15963/Rick_Wakeman%20Gospels_(Deluxe_Box_Set) is released on October 21, featuring operatic tenor Ramon Remedios, who leads a suite inspired by the four Gospels, which Wakeman wrote in aid of the Camberley United Reform Church. The set includes all known recordings related to the project, an in-depth interview with Wakeman, and a reproduction concert programme.

Finally, brand-new orchestral piece Rainbow Suite is launched on November 25. Performed with assistance from the Orion Orchestra, it’s described as “therapeutic music designed for people with an autistic spectrum disorder to enjoy – as well as aficionados of quality music.”

Wakeman recently said of his reunion with Jon Anderson and Trevor Rabin: “It hit home to us all, certainly to me, that, ‘Hold on a minute, we’re not immortal.’

“Anything can happen almost overnight. If there’s something you want to do and you feel you have to do, you have to do it. You can’t say, ‘When we’ve got a bit of time, we’ll do that.’ We spoke to each other and went, ‘We’ve got to do this.'”

Their North American tour commences on October 4, with UK dates to follow in March.